Method of making bearing sleeves



Dec. 27, 1932. B. sTocKFLETl-l METHOD OF MAKING BEARING SLEEVES 4Filed Deo. 15. 195o l consist of a harder metal backing shell and 'sized flat Patented Dec. 27, 193,2

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BERGER STOCKFLETH, OF NILES, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

THE CLEVELAND GRAPHITE BRONZE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORA- TION 0F OHIO METHOD 0F MAKING BEARIN G SLEEVES Application filed December 15, 1930. Serial No. 502,442.

This invention relates to improved means and methods for making half-cylindrical bearing sleeves. Usually, twof of these halfsleeves are'used to make a cylindrical bearing sleeve for use in a bearing housingsuch as the main bearings of an automobile engine. The sleeves'to which this invention relates a bearing metal lining, and they may or may not have end flanges. Usually, the backing metal is sheet steel and the bearing metal lining is usually some grade of Babbitt metal.

This present invention relates to the rapid production of such half-sleeves from pre/l pared bi-metal strips which' have been accurately formed as to thickness and the production of the` iinished accurately sized sleeves by but one operation of heavy forming and squeezing or pressing dies.

Heretofore,'so far as I am aware, the only practicable method has been to form the steel backs, then the bearing metal lining has been applied in some manner to form a bi-metal sleeve, then this sleeve was finished in dies under very heavy pressure, suliicient to compact the A'metal ffthe sleeve and finish the sleeve to desired'dimensions withinlthe allow;

able tolerances according to the use to which the sleeve was to be put.

In 'accordance with the present invention,

formed from a fiat bimetal strip or piece and is then compressed and iinished in one operation.

. The material is pieces or sections and these fed one by one to the machine.

The most efficient method heretofore. foundpracticable for making lined bearing sleeves was to first form the ly to size, then cast on the bearing metal lining and then size and finishthe sleeve in the heavy finishing press, all of which had to be vdone under the diliiculties of hot dies.

Under the present method, while it is desirable to work the bi-metal pieces under temperatures which render the bearing metal malleable and not brittle, the' temperatures do not need to be high enough to melt the bearing metal and it is not necessary to mainpreferablyjcut into suitable steel backs approximate-g tain the dies at such formerly'.

Furthermore, in the present method, the bonding of the bearing metal to the backing metal is accomplished While the backing metal is in fiat condition and the very fact that the flat bi-metal is bent to curved form with the bearing metal on the inner surface and then the metal of the whole sleeve is -compressed tends to improve the bond.

The invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing vin which the heavy forming and squeezing dies are very simply illustrated.

In said drawing: v

Fig. 1' is a perspective view of a piece of bi-metal sheet which I make use of in the formation of bi-metal bearing sleeves;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary lview of the dies a high temperature as of a forming and squeezing press suitable for in the extruded edge portions in dotted lines.

n said drawing, 1 illustrates a piece of bimetal sheet such as I make use of in my im` proved method of making bi-metal bearing sleeves.

Such bi-metal sheet is preferably made by passing a flat strip of steel through a' body of molten bearing metal and suitabledevices' by which a coating of uniform thickness of the bearing metal is applied. Preferably, though/not necessarily, ,the bi-metal strip iscompressed as to thickness before being cut into whic cylindrical bearing sleeve 2, such as is shown in Fig. 5. J A

The flat piece 1, as best shown in Fig. 2, consistsof two parts, a flat sheet 3 of a harder metal suitablefor the back of the sleeve 2, anda coating 4 of a'suitable bearing lpieces such as that shown at 1, each of is of a size suitable to produce a halfz metal such as Babbitt metal bonded to one 2Q". cylindrical form,

sure iianges and dimensions of the forming dies andis vtive die, its

face ofthe steel sheet.

Preferably the steel has a coating of tin, indicated at 5, on its opposite face and a layer 6 of suitable'bonding metal such as tin is ap lied to the steel strip to assist in ing t e bearing metal thereto.

'--The at bimetal-pieces, having been preared as indicated, 'are formed into the half caring sleeves in one operation. In Fig. 3, 7 illustrates the lower or female die provided with a substantially half-cylindrical die opening 8 oi the form and dimen sions of the back or outer surface 9 of the sleeve-2, and 10 illustrates-the upper co-operalower end 11 being hal-cylindri' cal in form and adapted to co-operate with the lower die 7 to form the strip 1 into halfas shown at 12 in Fig.4, die is shown as having been forced down into the die opening 8 and as having formed the at piece 1 into halfcylindrical form. The lower end 1'1 of the upper die 10 is accurately of the form and dimensions desired for the inner surface 13 of the completed sleeve 2.

The upper die 10 is provided with end clo- 14 to close the endsof he die metal tthe wherein the upper space and prevent the escape of The lower die is 4provided with a stop shoulder '15 at one side against which one edge of the piece 1 is placed in positioning it in the press.

The pressure applied in the forming operation is suiiicient to compress the metal to the extent of causing it to be actually elongated circumferentially. This action Ais indicated by the extruded edges 16 shown'at the sides of the die members, Fig. 4.

Such elongation of the metal under` the tremendous pressure necessary for such results causes a desired ironing out or` Hatteningpf the metal.

he resultant sleeve is accurately of the 'size uniform in thickness.

' means, y

to maintain the dies at a desired temperature.

The longitudinal edges 17 of the dieppening 8 are preferably rounded oi slightly to prevent any scraping action on the back of the ieee 1 in the forming operation.

T e tin coating 5 on the back assists in the forming operation as it acts to some extent asa lubricant inthe forming down of the sheet and also in the elongation of the metal inthe final squeezing action. Thisreduces the power necessary to apply, reduces wear on the press and results in more accurate sleeves. As indicated at 18, some suitable heating such as electric heaters, may be used Preferably, though. *not necessarily,.the

" shells 1 arepre-heated, before being `placed in the press, to a temperature at which the bearing metal is malleable but nothot enough Itomelt the bonding bondmetals of the sleeve to longitudinal edges of the formed sleeve,

metal although, in some instances, the heat may be suiicient to melt the bonding metal.

Preferably, the temperature' is slightly less than the melting point of the bonding metal. Under such conditions, when the sizing pressure is applied, he internal friction in the metal raises the temperature slightly and thus further softens the bonding metal,

This action assists in the amalgamation of the bearing metal with the bonding metal.

and the bonding metal with the metal of the back.

edge portions 16 are removed, the resultant sleeve being accurately of the size required, whether that be half-cylindrical or otherw1se.

`As many, modifications of the invention will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, I do not limit or confine the invention to the specific mode of procedure herein illustrated and described, except within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1. The herein described method of making bi-metal bearing sleeves which consists in providing pieces of bi-metal in flat form each of suitable size for Jforming a'half-cylindrical bearing sleeve, placing one ofv the pieces in tlat form upon'a suitable half-cylindrical die, forcing a suitable the. flat piece toA :lorm the flat piece into the die and, by the continuous operation of the plunger pressing the formed piece between the die and the plunger with sutlicient pressure to thin the sleeve radially and cause the be elongated in a direction substantially parallel with the surfaces between which it is pressed.

2. The invention as dened in claim 1, the completing pressure being suliicient to extrude some of the metals of the sleeve from between the die and plunger, the metals being extruded substantially equally. i

3. The invention as defined in claim 1, the final forming pressure extrude some of the metals of the sleeve at tile t e metals being extruded'substantially equally.

In testimonywhereof, I have hereunto set BERGER STOCKFLETH.

In Fig. 5, it is indicated that the extrudedl lunfrer down u on loo being suiicient to i lj 

